Run Skipper Run
by silversrider
Summary: Humanized, based on the song 'Run Joey Run'. Her father is furious, determent to destroy him, for what he had done to his daughter. Contains Skilene, rated T for character death.
1. Prologue: Daddy Please Don't

_This story is based on the song: Run Joey Run, from David Geddes._  
_ (Although I prefer Glee's version.)_

_This story is humanized.  
_

_I hope that you like it!  
_

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**Prologue: Daddy Please Don't**

She looked up to her father. Her long brown hair covered her face. "Daddy please don't!" She begged him. The large man in front of her pushed her away. She fell to the ground. "Daddy please, it wasn't his fault, he means so much to me!" The tears streamed down her face. Despair was written all over her face, her mascara was anticipated.

He walked towards the door, ignoring his daughters yells. "Daddy please don't, we're gonna get married… Just you wait and see!" She could see his grip around the gun tighten. "Daddy no!" She was desperate now, there was no way in stopping her father. Her eyes were red from crying, her voice was hoarse of yelling.

He turned around, facing his daughter. His eyes had an evil shimmering in them. "I'm going to make him pay for what you two have done. And you can't do anything about it." She tried to reason with him, but already knew that it was a losing battle. "Daddy please don't!" His face was covered with pure rage. He hit her in the face, leaving a red mark on her skin. Her brown eyes widened in shock, her mouth opened a little.

He turned around and stormed out of the door. The loud bang filled the empty hallway. She couldn't believe what her father had done to her. With a soft whisper, she made her remark. "He's going crazy." She took a deep breath before typing in his number on her cell phone.

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_:)_


	2. Chapter 1: True Feelings

_Here's the first chapter!  
_

_Enjoy! :D_**  
**

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**Chapter 1: True Feelings**

"And when we put that in our formula, we get our answer. It isn't that hard." The teacher wrote down the formula, E=MC2. Immediately, the hand of one boy rose into the sky. Marlene sighed, this was going to take ages. The boy and the teacher were arguing about the fact of Einstein's law was sincere. "I'm pretty sure that it's E=MC3 sir. It's definitely not squared." This was going to take a while. She looked down at her physics book. The formulas, the questions, they looked like Chinese language to her.

Her mind dwelled on to that certain boy. He was so handsome, so strong. She looked at him, sitting beside Kowalski, who was still discussing with the teacher. Skipper's sapphire blue eyes looked bored at the teacher. His black hair was cut militarily like. His face was always looking serious, more mature than his friends. His body was very muscular, but he wasn't skinny. She wondered how it came that he was still in school and not yet in the army. It was obvious that he had enough of the fight between Kowalski and the teacher, so he raised his hand. "Sir, if you don't mind, I like to continue the lesson. You know, doing things we are supposed to do here, like…" It was like he needed the time to think about that one, but she knew it was only an act. "Euhm, maybe, learn?"

The teacher was startled. Normally, nobody interfered with a lesson, unless they had a question. But this boy, he was different. He was a leader and he always took that position. Even in class.

"So, we aren't going to learn in this lesson? Good to know." He closed his books. School was so boring. It was so full of yibberyabber. The teacher didn't reply. He sighed, nobody ever argued with him. It was naturally, with one raised eyebrow he could make everybody move for him. He called it his leadership abilities. Everybody followed him, listened to him. Except for her, she was different.

The bell rang, indicating that it was time for recess. They moved out of the classroom instantly, leaving the teacher frozen before his whiteboard.

She looked at the group of boys sitting at the opposite side of the canteen. The four of them were all eating the same, a tuna salad. He was so handsome when he was eating… She smiled at the thought of dinning together, the sight of candle lights… The sound of an acoustic guitar… She sighed longingly. If only he saw her standing here.

He looked at the boy sitting in front of him. He was small for his age and had his half long black hair perfectly combed. He looked so outright adorable, that was why most of the girls were falling for every move he made. His British accent was almost killing the ladies, just like his big blue eyes. He was the symbol of sweet cuteness. "Skippah, what is our next lesson?" The boy asked him. Skipper smiled at him before giving his answer. "Biology, Private." Private wasn't his real name, just like Skipper wasn't his. Their real names just didn't fit them, they were too polite, too long. So, they had made this one up the first time they met, and they kept it.

The large, smart guy was jumping up and down from excitement. "Biology! Yes! We are finally going to make that test! YES!" Skipper rose his eyebrow while watching his friend getting over excitement over a biology test. "Kowalski, calm down, it doesn't start for ten minutes." Kowalski obeyed immediately, but his happy smile was still written all over his face.

People wondered how the group of friends stayed together, they were all so different. Skipper knew that it was all because of him. He was keeping them together, like a brotherhood, a team. But he had to admit that they were very different. That was what made them strong, unbreakable. Kowalski, the large smart and somewhat nerdy looking guy, was their brains. He knew the answer to every question and was always experimenting with dangerous explosives, mostly until he blew up the schoollab, or a teacher came in and told him not to blow up the schoollab.

Then there was Rico. Skipper wondered how it was possible that he was still in school. He wasn't smart, never paid any attention to the lessons and was always drawing a blonde girl or for some strange, unknown reason, explosives. Rico, appeared dangerous, with a large scar on the left side of his face, over his mouth. He had an appetite for danger and violence. If it wasn't for Private, the medium-sized, black-haired boy would be fighting everyone, every second of the day. Private was their cute-guy. He was their sense of reality, always tried to let them believe in the good of people.

And then there was himself. He was small, but he wouldn't grow any higher. He knew that he frightened almost everyone at school, with his stern look and harsh voice. Some called him a bully. But he wasn't one. He always tried to do good, to protect his friends. He had to admit it, sometimes he went a bit too far. He could take a shumowrestler down with one hand, a prayer, and another hand. He could take everything and anyone.

He looked at the opposite side of the canteen. There she was, Marlene. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her long wavy brown hair, her shiny brown eyes, it was enough to knock him right off his feet. But he never gave a trace that he would like someone, not to her, not to his friends. He had no time for love. So he acted like she bored him when she tried to tell him a story, and sometimes, he even insulted her.

His friends were looking at him, as if he had to comment on a funny joke, or give his opinion about the tuna. In fact, he had missed the bell. "Can we just go to biology, now?!" He knew that if Kowalski had to wait any longer, he would explode, so he nodded. "Let's roll."


	3. Chapter 2: Poetry

_Here's chapter 2, I hope that you like it!_

_Have fun :D**  
**_

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**Chapter 2: Poetry**

His friends were looking at him, as if he had to comment on a funny joke, or give his opinion about the tuna. In fact, he had missed the bell. "Can we just go to biology, now!" He knew that if Kowalski had to wait any longer, he would explode, so he nodded. "Let's roll."

He slapped Kowalski hard in his face. For the last hours on, he had been talking about the test. Remarking how easy it was, he said that it was so easy that even Private would have a good grade. It annoyed him and he had wished that his friend would shut up. He tried to say that to him, but since he didn't listen to reason, he had to hear the language of his fists.

The smart guy immediately went silent, looking at him with a hurt expression. "Where was that for?" Skipper shrugged. "Got annoyed." They walked further through the corridor. Only three lessons to go before the end of the school day. They would hang out at Skipper's place, pretending that they were in a military team. It was something they did almost every day, it was something they really enjoyed. They were almost at their English class room when somebody appeared in front of them.

She couldn't believe what she had just seen. Skipper slapped his friend in the face. Mercilessly, hard. Kowalski hadn't done anything in return. Nobody had. She could see the pain in the large boy's face. She felt sympathy for him. And How much she liked Skipper, she couldn't let him get away with this so easily. She jumped in front of them.

"Hello Marlene." He couldn't look her in the eyes. He hoped that she didn't notice his blushing. "How can you do something like this to your friends?" He raised an eyebrow at her remark. "He annoyed me." He could see that she didn't like that reason. "And then you just hit him? How would you like it?"

Marlene was the first one to ever stand up against him. At least, she was the first one of the whole school. Even the teachers didn't have the guts to do so. But she had the courage. It made her so hot… So powerful. It was like he could kiss her, right in the hallway, in front of his friends. No, not only his friends, in front of everybody. He would scream to her how much he loved her, dance in front of her. But before he could finish his wild daydream, the girl he had been dreaming about slapped him in his face. "Now? Did you like it?" She turned around and walked away from him, her long brown hair dancing on her back.

His friends were staring in complete shock at him. They knew that Skipper wouldn't tolerate this. He would run after her and slap her in the face. Twice as hard as she had done to him. He would yell his angry words, and then walk further, leaving her crying on the ground.

Only, the real reason for their shock was that none of it happened. Skipper just stood there and stared at Marlene, who was walking angrily to her next lesson. "That was weird." Kowalski stated, looking at his friend, who looked like he was frozen, paralyzed. He waved his hand before Skipper's eyes, but received no reaction. " Weeeeeird." Rico summarized the situation perfectly. Kowalski tapped Skipper on his shoulder and their friend returned to earth again.

"Skippah, are you okay?" Private asked in his sweet British accent, with a worried look in his adorable blue eyes. "Yeah, sure. Which subject do we have now?" Skipper asked to no one in particular. Kowalski was the one who answered the question. "We were on our way to English." They all stared at him with these wide eyes, as if he had grown a second head or something like that. "So what are we waiting for?" Skipper walked further and made his way into the English classroom.

Apparently, he was somebody who always talked a lot in the lessons. He hadn't noticed it before, so when everybody was looking at him with an expecting smile, he wasn't sure what to do. He had been looking at Marlene, who was sitting at the front of the class room, close by the teacher. She smiled at him, as if she had forgotten about that she had been angry at him, only minutes ago. Everybody still looked expectedly at him, but he remained silent and just looked at his study book. Poetry. Great.

She laughed. The teacher had been reading the absent list out loud and accidentally read Skipper's real name. Normally, it was enough to drive him almost to the point of insanity, but this time, it was like he hadn't even noticed it. The teacher noticed his fault immediately after he had read the name and was looking at Skipper with a look of pure anxiety. Everybody in the class was turned towards him, waiting for the explosion, but none came. Skipper was looking in front of him, as if he hadn't even heard it. He looked around the classroom and then stared at his English book as if it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen. She looked down at her own book. Poetry! Great!

_As long as you are in my head,_

_You'll be in my heart,_

_But as long as you are in my heart,_

_You can't get out of my head._

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_I hope that you are enjoying this so far! :)  
_

_(FYI, that (very) little poem was written by me long time ago.)  
_


	4. Chapter 3: Confessions

_Here you go, chapter 3 :D_

_Have fun!**  
**_

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**Chapter 3: Confessions**

The last bell rang. Finally, this school day was over. Skipper walked through the hallway together with his friends. Kowalski was still explaining something about differential equation's. "And that makes X=6. It's not that difficult, Private." Skipper glanced at Private's face. It was obvious that the boy was finding the differential equation's were everything except 'not that difficult'.

And that was when he saw her. It seemed like everything around them fastened, only they were the ones standing still. For a split-second, they watched each other in the eye, but then she walked further. "Skipper? Is there something wrong?" His friends were standing in front of him. He could see a worried expression in Kowalski's blue eyes. Kowalski laid his hand on his forehead. "His temperature isn't elevated, so he has no fever." Kowalski wrote everything down on his clipboard, something he had always with him. "I am not ill." Skipper pushed Kowalski away. "You're sure, Skippah? You have been acting different the whole day."

"I'm fine. Shall we cut off this tea party and move on?" He got annoyed by their caring expressions, as if he would drop dead before their eyes at this very moment. The hallway was already empty, and he didn't want to stay in the school for any longer. For god's sake, he wasn't Kowalski!

The look in his eyes was able to melt her on the inside. He was so hot! But still, she knew that he wasn't looking for love. He was too preoccupied with his little military game. If he only would see how much she liked him… She stared out of the window, not seeing anything. Maybe one day, they would get together. She would wait for him, she knew deep down inside that he was the one for her. She only had to find the courage to tell him. She would probably have to find her running shoes too.

Apparently, it was unusual for him to stare out of the window. His friends were looking at him with strange looks on their faces. "So when are you going to tell us what's wrong?" Kowalski said to him, with a hint of disappointment in his voice. Skipper knew that they expected him to tell it when he wasn't feeling alright, or when there was something about to happen. It was one of their unwritten rules: 'You tell each other mostly everything about what's happening and going to happen but you shut your mouth about the past.' Normally, it was easy for Skipper to follow this rule, but not today. They would never understand his feelings for Marlene.

For one moment he had forgotten about the cute blonde haired competition swimmer Doris. And how could he possibly forget about Rico's Perky? Although he had only seen one drawing of her, in which she showed so many resemblance to a plastic doll that they were questioning her existing, he was talking all the time about her. That meant, when he wasn't talking about fish or explosives. And Shawna, the cute intern school nurse, who was Private's crush a long time ago. Maybe they would understand his feelings?

"I think that I like this one girl." They were looking at him as if they saw water burning. "What do you mean? Like as in like-like or in just like?" Kowalski looked puzzled at their friend. "Like-like." Skipper confirmed. "Who?" He could see how curious Private was. Although he didn't like to tell them, he knew that his life would be over if he didn't. "Marlene."

She laid down her fountain pen and read her letter once more.

_Dear Skipper,_

_I don't know how to tell you this, but I have to._

_I can't deny it any longer, because every time when I see you, I want to tell you this._

_Skipper, I really, really, love you._

_You probably think that I am a bit crazy, but I really do._

_I want to talk to you about this, I need to know what your feelings are.  
_

_Marlene._

After reading the letter for the seventh time, she decided that it was the best she could do. She wasn't used to writing love-letters. She hoped that he wouldn't back away, that he would like her too. Together they could make it work. They only had to get together first.

"MAR-?" Private yelled, but he shut his mouth immediately after receiving a hard slap on his left cheek. Skipper looked angrily at the younger boy. "These walls have ears, you know?" He was referred to his parents, who were sitting downstairs, enjoying some kind of television program about singing people.

Skipper looked down at his homework. Kowalski had insisted on making it before they were going to play. It was almost like Kowalski enjoyed homework more than playing like they were in the military. Skipper looked again at his question. 'What element is always present in a combustion reaction?' He bit on his pen.

Although Skipper knew that it wasn't a though question, he had problems with his concentration. Even Rico had already wrote down an answer, but Skipper didn't trust it enough to copy it. He wondered if 'kaboomboom' was even a thing known to scientists. And then he meant scientist who didn't wreck their own lab every time they were or had invented something. He glanced over at Kowalski's answer. 'Oxygen'. He had learned to read only the important parts of Kowalski's answers, it would take too much time and it always confused him too much to read his whole, ten lines long, and probably very boring, answer.

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_Yep, the story is finally beginning to move. XD  
_

_Thank you for reading so far and I hope that you are enjoying this story. :)  
_


	5. Chapter 4: Central Park

_Here you go, chapter 4!_**  
**

_Please enjoy it!  
_

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**Chapter 4: Central Park**

After reading the letter for the seventh time, she decided that it was the best she could do. She wasn't used to writing love-letters. She hoped that he wouldn't back away, that he would like her too. Together they could make it work. They only had to get together first.

The envelope was addressed to him. His name was written in a nice curly handwriting on the front. He didn't trust it, his paranoia grew to unimaginable heights. It could be from Hans, Blowhole or any other bully at school! He shivered, he surely wasn't going to be the one opening it. He handed it to Kowalski.

Skipper saw Kowalski opening the letter without hesitation, but he turned pale almost immediately and pushed the letter into Skipper's hands.

Her letter was brief, handwritten, just like the front of the envelope. The ink wasn't blue, but somewhat between Bordeaux and purple. But her words, that was what got him.

It started at the first line: 'Dear Skipper,' No one had ever called him 'dear'. Not even his parents. Skipper read further. So Marlene was into him? He folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. He noticed his friends looking at him. Should he tell them? He decided that it would be the best solution for this problem. Kowalski would tell the others anyway.

They met in the park, after school, nearby the Central Park Zoo. He had secretly planned to take her to the zoo, if everything went right. But how could he possibly show her his feelings?

She was standing near a Flowering Dogwood, looking at the people walking by, waiting for him to come. What was she thinking? He wasn't into her, he wouldn't come. He was probably embarrassed by her letter. She had driven him away. They would never get together.

And then, she saw him, walking towards her. "You came!"

He saw her standing under a beautiful tree, which made her appear like a real angel. Did she really love him?

The awkward silence that followed made them think about their feelings. Skipper was the first one to break the silence. "Do you really like me?" The insecurity of his voice was new to her. He seemed vulnerable, looking at his feet. She pulled his head up, so they looked each other right in the eye. "I never liked you Skipper." The expression on his face was heartbreaking. He'd made his conclusion without waiting for her to finish her saying.

"That's because I love you." He looked astonished at her. "Really?" She nodded approvingly. "Really." They looked each other deep in the eye before getting in a close hug.

"Which animal did you like the best?" Skipper and Marlene walked out of the zoo, holding hands. "Definitely the penguins." He thought back at the four little guys who were smiling and waving on their concrete iceberg. Just like there was in his own life, there seemed to be much more behind their smiles. As if it was a cover story. Just like his friends and himself, there seemed to be a special bond.

"I liked the otter the most. She was so cute!" He looked down at their hands, before looking at her face. "Just like you are, Marlene."

He was so cute! He made compliments about how nice she was, how beautiful she was looking… He wasn't at all the harsh, cold commando-like boy whom she knew from school. He was the best boyfriend she could ever imagine. He still was his strong, handsome and sometimes annoying self, but he cared for her and that gave her a feeling of safety. A feeling that she had finally found a place where she belonged. A place in his hands, covered with his love.

He whistled while opening the front door. He had never felt so happy in his whole life. At least, not since his friends, Manfredi and Johnson, had died. He saw his father sitting in the living room, reading the paper and he could hear his mother cooking in the kitchen. "Skipper, is that you?" His mother yelled from the kitchen.

"Yes, mom. What do we have for dinner?" He walked to the kitchen and saw the blonde haired woman mixing some lettuce in a large bowl. "Tuna salad. Did you have a nice day?" He nodded. "Yes, it was fine." He didn't want to tell his parents about Marlene. Not yet. They would force him to get her over for dinner, embarrass him in front of her and after that they would tell him to search another girl, because they didn't like her.

That was exactly what they had done with 'doll face'. He still wasn't able to think about her name, just like Kowalski wasn't with the name 'Doris.' But he could see her red lips and beautiful smile instantly. It was still hurting him that she had left him for that other guy, without telling him the truth. He would make sure that it wouldn't happen to him and Marlene. He had make sure that he was the greatest boyfriend ever.

She picked up her pencil and started her drawing with his beautiful eyes. Then she moved on to his mouth. She couldn't hold herself back and kissed the lines of his lips before she could even finish them. She laid the drawing back and laughed. This sure was silly, kissing a piece of paper. But she had found inspiration for her drawing and two hours later, she was finally content by how it turned out. His eyes were twinkling and his lips were curled in a small, but happy looking laugh.

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_Yay, they are finally together!_

_Hopefully you are liking this story :D_


	6. Chapter 5: The Music Of Love

_Here's chapter 5!_

_I hope that you are still__ enjoying this story :)_**  
**

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**Chapter 5: The Music Of Love**

He would make sure that it wouldn't happen to him and Marlene. He had make sure that he was the greatest boyfriend ever.

"Close your eyes." She did like he said. She closed her eyes tightly and waited for him to give the signal to open them again. "You can open them!" He sat before her at the table, holding a Spanish guitar. He smiled lovingly at her. "Surprise!" She was so surprised that she couldn't say a single word. Her eyes ran down from Skipper's face to his Spanish Guitar. "You- you, play?" She stutters, she couldn't believe it, her love played her favorite instrument. He smiled widely at her. "I definitely do. " His hand moved towards the strings, but before he could touch them, she asked him another question. "But how, when?" Skipper sighed, he really dreaded telling that story, to anyone. Even his own little sweet Marlene. "I have learned it in Mexico." Marlene raised her eyebrow.

"And _why_ were you in Mexico?" Skipper knew that there was no escape. He had to tell her. "I lived with my dad for eight years in the forests of Mexico. He studied birds." He rolled his eyes. "Tropical ones. When he was watching his _precious _birds, I went to the city and found a friend, who played the guitar. I learned it from him." He stood up, guitar still in his hands. A tear welled up in his eyes. "Dad never cared as much for me than for his birds. I wished that I was one. I would fly away, to a place far, far away from there. And sometimes I still wish that I could fly away." He walked towards the window, showing her his back.

She left the table and stood beside him, laid her arm around the boy's shoulders. "Don't say such things Skipper… You have me now." He turned his head, looked her right in the eyes and before she could say anything again, he kissed her on the mouth. When they were done with their kiss, Skipper sighed. "I love you Marlene. You are the only reason why I stayed here. With you. Because of you. I couldn't leave you." Marlene's eyes widened in shock. "Why on earth would you want to leave? What about school, what about your friends?" He shrugged. "I don't want to go to the university. I always wanted to get into the marine. And my friends… They would understand it. Rico would join me, he only stayed because I stayed."

"But, but, bu-" Skipper interrupted her before she could even think about what she wanted to say after 'but'. "Let's not dwell on things of the past, okay? Let's just enjoy some Spanish guitar."

He placed his hand on the strings. He played his first accord. It was perfect. He played her all-time-favorite song. He smiled to her. His blue eyes were dry again, they even completely filled with joy and pride when he looked at her. But when he didn't look at her, his face immediately fell into a sad expression. It seemed normal, but now she could see that his bossing, irritating behavior wasn't one he put up to rebel against the greater powers. It was because he did something he didn't want to do. She felt sorry for him.

Her smile was so beautiful, it melted him from the inside. He started daydreaming, about his hand. Her hand. The beach, candles. All that romantic stuff. He forgot that he was playing his guitar. It wasn't for minutes when he noticed that he was playing the bridge over and over again. He smiled apologizing to Marlene, before concentrating on the song again.

She pulled herself closer to his chest. His hands wrapped around her. They were sitting on the couch, in complete silence. Marlene's parents were out of town, so they had the whole house for themselves. She closed her eyes while listening to his slow and regular heartbeat. He stroke her back. "I love you Marlene, I won't let anyone take you away from me. I promise." She nodded and closed her eyes. She felt herself drifting into sleep. His warm and protecting body made her feel save, she felt that she belonged in his arms. "I love you too." She managed to whisper to him before falling asleep in his embrace.

He stroke her hair. She was so sweet when she was sleeping. He could look at her for eternity. She made his life worth living. She made his life happy again. He wanted to show her his gratitude, but couldn't find a way, so he just hugged her and watched her sleep. He softly sang something he had heard years ago, it was a soft, slow, love-song. Not the kind of music where he normally listened to, but he remembered the lyrics without even trying.

"_It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart,_

_Without saying a word you can light up the dark._

_Try as I may I can never explain,_

_What I hear when you don't say a thing._

_The smile on your face let's me know that you need me._

_There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me,_

_The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall._

_You say it best,_

_when you say nothing at all__"_

He kissed softly her cheek, before closing his own eyes.

_You'll never leave me,you catch me wherever I fall…_

_I love you._

He fell asleep. His arms wrapped around her body. Their breathing soft and slowly, in almost the same pace.

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_Did you like it?_

_I didn't could get to a right song for Skipper playing the guitar, guess it sounded like a song from Armik._

_The last song mentioned is 'When you say nothing at all' by Ronan Keating._


	7. Chapter 6: The Flightless Bird

_So here's finally chapter 6!_

_I hope that you like it :)**  
**_

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**Chapter 6: The Flightless Bird**

He kissed softly her cheek, before closing his own eyes.

_You'll never leave me,you catch me wherever I fall…_

_I love you._

He fell asleep. His arms wrapped around her body. Their breathing soft and slowly, in almost the same pace.

She opened her eyes. It took her some time to recall the events of the previous day and night, but very soon a warm feeling spread through her body. He was in love with her! They spend the night together! Marlene yawned and stretched her stiff limbs. Her long brown hair was matted. Her eyes scanned the room, but she couldn't see her boyfriend anywhere. The smell of pancakes floated into the room and she made her way towards the kitchen.

He whistled softly while backing the pancakes. He had commandeered her kitchen and the ingredients for the pancakes. He wasn't the best cook, but he tried his best to make the most delicious pancakes, using Private's secret ingredient: Love.

Everything he did had to be perfect, just like she was, just like everything she did. Her breakfast had to be perfect. Her make-up, although he thought that she didn't need it, was always perfect. Her homework was always done and everything was perfectly in place with perfectly correct answers and not a scratch could be found. She deserved nothing less than 'perfect'. He noticed Marlene peering into the kitchen. "Good morning, dear, did you sleep well?" Her wide smile almost made his heart skip a beat, he couldn't wish for a better girlfriend. She was perfect.

"So… How did it go?" Kowalski, Rico and Private stood before him, widely grinning. "Fine." Skipper tried to avoid the questions by walking into the classroom, but they stopped him before he could even make his way to the door. "Did you? You kno-" Kowalski asked, still with that wide grin on his face. Skipper nodded. "And…?" He slapped Kowalski across the face. "All of that is classified information." His friends laughed, that was how they knew Skipper.

He stared out of the window, he saw several birds looking for some pieces of bread, laying on the square in front of the school. When someone walked towards them, they would spread their wings and fly away. If it wasn't for Marlene, he would have spread his wings a long time ago. He would have gone to a place far away. But he was a flightless bird. He had no wings, no feathers. He was bound at the ground, he would never learn to fly away to the sun, in the blue sky. But he had Marlene now. She could be his wings, she made him fly.

"And that's how you can calculate the slope of a line or formula." The teacher looked around the class and sighed. Marlene could see that he was obviously disappointed by the amount of pupils who were paying attention to what he tried to tell them. Only one of them had paid attention to his explanation. Kowalski looked down at his book as if it was an invitation to for tea time with the prime minister himself. Or maybe he would have preferred Sir Isaac Newton… She laughed a little at the thought of Kowalski and Newton enjoying some tea and discussing the matters of action=-reaction.

"Skipper, have you finished all the sums already?" The teacher bowed over his work and retreated obviously disappointment, muttering to himself. "And I thought for sure that he-" He closed his book, all of his concentration was gone. He looked at his girlfriend, she was willingly making the sums. He smiled, she was so cute when she was thinking… At that moment, he wondered if he was becoming a soft puppy. Maybe he was too much in love.

When she was finished with the sums, she looked at her boyfriend. He was staring in front of him, obviously deep in thoughts. She wondered what he was thinking. She wanted to see his beautiful smile, it was the one thing that made her day, the one thing that made her day.

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_Thank you for reading so far!_

_I hope that you're still liking it :)_


	8. Chapter 7: Manila Coffins

_It feels like the story is finally moving now!  
_

_I hope that you'll Have fun with chapter 7! :)_**  
**

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**Chapter 7: Manila Coffins**

Marlene looked at her boyfriend. He was staring in front of him, obviously deep in thoughts. She wondered what he was thinking. She wanted to see his beautiful smile, it was the one thing that made her day, the one thing that made her day.

Thump! The boxing ball knocked him from his feet. Skipper took a quick glance around, but he was lucky. Nobody had seen it. He stood up and called for his friends to join him. "Alright boys, what about some one-on-one fighting? No weapons allowed." He gave Rico, who was holding a chainsaw above Private's head, a quick glance. "Kowalski, you're with me." He felt a little sorry for Private, who was looking terrified at his opponent. Normally, Skipper would have assigned Kowalski or himself to Rico, but this time he wanted to find out how much Kowalski improved. "Ok, let's fight!"

Kowalski opened their fight with a punch aimed for Skipper's stomach, but he dodged and grabbed Kowalski's arm. Their battle ended within five seconds. "I think this was a new record, Kowalski. And I do not like it." He extended his hand to help his friend get on his feet, but Kowalski ignored it and got up on his own. "Very funny." Skipper narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What's wrong, soldier?" He wanted to comfort Kowalski, but it appeared that he pulled an invisible trigger. "What's wrong? What's wrong?! You are too paranoid, making us fight, do stupid training exercises. That is what's wrong! We aren't even in the military and you drill us like we are an elite force. It's not fair to push us this far. That's what wrong!" Kowalski yelled to him. "Manfredi, Kowalski, and Johnson. Have you forgotten about them? Don't they mean anything to you?!" He could see the flames rising in Kowalski's eyes. "Of course I haven't forgotten about them! But how can this situation in any way be related to them? My parents aren't even planning to move to Manila, so I highly doubt it if you would see the remainders of me back in a manila coffin. You're just overly paranoid Skipper." It was impossible to hide his disappointment. "I thought they were your friends too, Kowalski. That they were our friends."

Skipper looked around and saw Private and Rico watching them with open mouths. They never heard about Manfredi and Johnson, Skipper only mentioned their fate sometimes as a warning, nothing more. "You're just as naïve as they were Kowalski. It wouldn't surprise me if you throw a Nairobi surprise party yourself one day." "GET OVER IT! They are gone Skipper! Nothing can change that, maybe you have to move on!" Skipper stared in shock at Kowalski. "How can you say those things, Kowalski?" The tall boy shrugged. With the tears running down his cheeks, Skipper turned and ran away, leaving his friends staring in shock after him.

He walked. Just walked. His tears blurred his vision, but he didn't care where he was going, so he just walked further. How could Kowalski say those things? He would never have guessed that Kowalski would try to make him forget about them. How could he possibly forget about his two friends?

Marlene couldn't focus on her history essay. Who would possibly be interested in the life story of Frederik IX, king of Denmark from 1947 to 1972? She sighed and looked out of the window. It was cloudy and rainy outside. The streets were empty, at least that was what she thought until she saw him. Walking down the pavement with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, his shoulders bowed, as if he was sad about something. She took a closer look and saw that he was crying. She jumped up quickly and ran outside. Forgetting about her essay, jacket and keys.

"Skipper what's wrong?!" He looked over his shoulder and saw Marlene running towards him. He walked further, trying to ignore her. He felt her warm hand upon his right shoulder. "Skipper, wait!" He shrugged her hand off his shoulder and walked on. Suddenly, she appeared right in front of him, blocking his way. "You are now going to tell me what's wrong." She commanded of him, making herself long, crossing her arms. In a secret place in his heart, he loved strong women. Women who stood up to him, had the guts to stop him. On the other side, he hated everybody who wouldn't listen to him. "Alright. But we can't do that outside, what about we go to your home?" She nodded and they walked together to her house.

How could she be so stupid? How were they supposed to get in now? "Skipper… I am afraid that I left my keys inside." He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Really?" She gave him a small nod. "Yes, I am sorry." Skipper gave her a small kiss on her cheek. "Don't be. That's your room right?" He pointed at the open window on the first floor. She nodded again. Before she could say a word, he ran towards her house and jumped in a nearby tree. From the tree he threw himself to the window, only at the last moment grabbing the windowsill. She was amazed by his sudden burst out of power, clapping in her hands when he went inside.

With two swiftly jumps was he inside her room. When he took a glance around, he saw a drawing laying on her desk. It was unmistakably him. She had drawn him with a small smile. He liked the drawing. He turned away from the drawing and made his way to her front door. When he unlocked it, he saw her standing smiling in front of him. "That was amazing Skipper!" He laughed. "Thank you, Marlene!" And they went inside.

Apparently, she forgot about the fact why he was with her in the first place. She could only talk about how magnificent his jump to his window were. He was glad that he didn't have to talk about Manfredi and Johnson.

They got closer that evening and together they made love.

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_Thank you for reading so far! :)_


	9. Chapter 8: Short Messages

_Here's chapter 8!_

_Enjoy! :)**  
**_

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**Chapter 8: Short Messages**

That night, they felt the connection between them grow and together they made love, in Marlene's small one person sized bed.

Her warm body against his chest. The sound of her soft rhythmic breathing. He awoke immediately. There was a feeling in his gut that told him that he had made a big mistake, but he ignored it. He loved it to be so close to Marlene, and what could possibly happen after one time? His hand softly touches Marlene's cheek. What would his parents say if they discovered what he had done? He shook off the feeling of unease. She didn't have to be… Right? Now he wished that he had paid more attention in Biology and not just copied Kowalski's answers without thinking about it.

Marlene opened her eyes and saw her boyfriend laying beside her. She silently thanked her mother for not buying a double bed, she loved it to share the little space she had with him. She saw that he was looking at her, so she gave him a small, but happy smile. He smiled back, but she could see that something was bothering him. "Skipper, what's wrong?"

"What we did is wrong, Marlene. What if… You know…" He looked at his hands to avoid her pained look. "We made a big mistake. Very big." Marlene softly stroke his back. "Don't worry Skipper, it doesn't have to happen. " But he could see the fear in her eyes. What if it did? What if…

They walked through the school corridor, hand in hand, whispering their happy thoughts to each other. Skipper saw his friends at the end of the corridor, but he walked past them. He still felt the stinging of Kowalski's words, right in his heart. "Skipper!" He heard the youngest boy yell, but he ignored him, only tightening his grip on Marlene's hand. "What's wrong Skipper?" She immediately noticed his tension. Skipper sighed, he had to tell her one day and maybe today was that day. "I'll tell you after school, alright?" Marlene nodded and together they walked to their next lesson.

"Their coffins came back to America, since the rest of their family lived here." It was one of the saddest story Marlene had ever heard. It had so many twists, including planes, elephant foots, day spa's, Nairobi surprise parties and more unbelievable things. She could see that Skipper was still beating himself up about them, but how could a crashing plane possibly be his fault? "I can't get over them Marlene. I only can move on and love you, nothing more."

He dried his eyes. Now that he had said it out loud, he realized that Kowalski was right. He had to get over them, he had to push away the whole story about two of his best friends and their fate. He decided to apologize to his friend immediately. He jumped up from Marlene's couch and ran until he stood before Kowalski's home. He knocked three times on the door.

Marlene watched him running out the door. Sometimes it could be really hard to understand that boy. She shrugged and walked to the refrigerator for a little snack.

"Finally!" The door opened and Skipper saw his large friend standing in the opening. Kowalski looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What do _you_ want?" Kowalski sounded irritated, as if he had been very busy with something. Probably an experiment. "Kowalski, I am so sor- Sor- s- so- sor-" He couldn't say it, it was so unlike him to apologize and at the same time really mean it. Kowalski rolled his eyes. "You want to say you're sorry, don't you?" Skipper nodded. "Yes, I that is what I wanted to say. Sorry." Kowalski gave him a small smile. "I am sorry too. I was too harsh on you. I only don't like to be constantly reminded of their dead." They smiled at each other. "I'm glad that's out of our way." They looked at each other in complete silence, before Kowalski told him that he had to go back on his experiments.

They were playing a video game when her parents came home. She had totally forgotten about them. She knew that her parents wouldn't like it to find their girl with a boy. In one room. Especially her father was very protective. "Skipper, hide in my room! I come to you as fast as possible!" Skipper quickly ran up the stairs and made his way into Marlene's room. He looked around for a piece of paper and a pen. He found it soon and wrote a little letter to Marlene.

_Darling,_

_I climbed out of the window to make sure that your parents stay oblivious to the fact that we're dating. You can never imagine how much I love you._

_Your love,_

_Skipper_

Skipper folded the letter and laid it on Marlene's pillow. He opened the window and climbed on the roof, before shutting the window again. He made sure that he couldn't be seen through one of the other windows and jumped from the roof. He slowly walked towards his own home. He was sure that his parents would want him to join them for dinner and talk about things that didn't matter, like school. Or that they didn't like his cloths. Or his friends. Or his haircut.

As expected, his parents wanted him to join them with dinner. He stared down at his plate. His appetite was gone, since he saw that his father had been the one cooking. He was sure that his dad could make tasty food for birds, but the cooking he did for humans was almost poisoning. Skipper pushed away his plate and gave an apologizing smile to his parents before going to his room.

She had to undergo a 2 hours long interrogation from her parents before they believed their lies about that no one else had been inside the house, that she had eaten vegetables everyday and that she had made her homework. Although she normally didn't like to lie to them, she did it now with pleasure. She would do anything for him, just to make sure that they could keep on seeing each other. The letter she found in her room was short, but heart-warming. She quickly send him a text message with her mobile phone.

_Love,_

_My parents have finally released me._

_They suspect nothing._

_I love you with whole my heart._

_XXX Marlene_

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_Thank you again for reading so far!  
_


	10. Chapter 9:When Positive Becomes Negative

_Sorry for the long wait, but here's chapter 9!_

_Have fun :D**  
**_

_Because I got questions about how old they were in this story, I will say it here and post it again in the opening. :)  
_

_Skipper - 18  
Kowalski and Rico - between 16 and 17  
Private - 15_

Marlene - 17

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**Chapter 9: When Positive Becomes Negative And The Other Way Around**

_Positive._

_Xxx Marlene_

His hands shivered. The message confirmed it, his gut instinct was right. And how much he liked to brag about it, this was not the kind of 'right' he was looking for. His friends watched him, waiting for him to give the command to continue their training. He saw Private sneaking curious behind his back to read the message. "What's positive, Skippah?" Skipper quickly turned the phone off. "Nothing. It's classified." Private gave him a begging look, with his large baby blue puppy eyes. "I don't want to talk about it." Kowalski raised his eyebrow and Skipper was sure that he already had figured out what was positive.

With the test still in her hand, she watched her reflection in the mirror. Maybe it wasn't that bad. Maybe it was time to grow up and take it as a real girl, or woman. At least the things they did were things real woman did. She softly touched her belly, there, inside of her, grew their child. A child. A real living thing. It would become an individual. Just like her. What would it be like to have a child? And not just a child, his child. A child made with love. Their love. She smiled at herself, she was ready.

How could he possibly be ready for a child? He wasn't ready to settle himself at one place. He had big plans for the future. Big, dangerous plans. What about getting into the secret agency? What about the marine? He sadly looked at the reflection in the mirror. He had made a fault and he wouldn't run away like a scared kitten. He would stay and be the best father he could ever be, but he also knew that his life would never be the same again. His dreams, they would have to change. His friends, they would probably have to change too. Maybe he had to change too. He wasn't ready for this and he doubted if he would ever be.

Luckily, it was weekend. Time to think, time to talk. They were together in Skipper's room. "How do you think your parents will take it?" Skipper asked Marlene, she shrugged. "They will be angry at first, I think. But they have to get over it. I am a big girl now and I can make decisions for myself." He softly stroke his hand through her hair. "Do you want to have our marriage before, or after the child is born?" He could see that Marlene had to think for a moment.

Did he just propose to her? It had to be the most non-romantic way to propose to someone. It was more like telling her that they were going to marry. Like how he commanded his friends around. But she forgave him, it was obvious that he truly loved her, and she loved him back. Marlene answered him with a wide smile. "After." She slowly pulled him towards her body and lay his hand on her belly. "In about twenty weeks, you can feel our little baby in my belly." He softly rubbed his hand over it.

It was crazy that a baby could grow inside a woman. He had never really thought about it before. Sure he had heard about it, but it got so real now. Kowalski was right, he should have paid more attention to the boring long lectures they got at school. But how could he have ever guessed that he would get into this situation?

After Skipper had been completely silent and almost frozen for an hour, doing nothing else than gazing at a, apparently, very interesting part of her wall, Marlene decided to get him out of his trance. "Skipper, love, are you okay?" Still no reaction. She sighed, maybe she had to contact his friends. Surely they knew how to get him out of this state. She waved her hand before his eyes. Still no reaction.

Skipper stared at the wall before him, deep in thoughts. But how longer he stared, how less he thought. He didn't notice his girlfriend's attempt to get his attentions. He never noticed his friends arriving. But they were there when he awoke from his trance from a slap in his face.

"I am going to be a father. I am going to be married."

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_Thank you for reading so far :)_


	11. Chapter 10: If Only

_This was a very hard chapter to write..._

_Still I hope that you get it and will 'like' it. :)**  
**_

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**Chapter 10: If Only**

His eyes opened suddenly. Skipper awoke panting, sweating. That same old dream over and over and over again. He couldn't forget it. He caught his breath slowly, with his left hand on his chest. Why couldn't he just erase the memory, why hadn't he listened to her?

He looked around the dark room. Although he now had his future in his own hands, he wished he was back into the position of not having to choose a faith. He was all alone now. He would have never guessed that he would care for anything more than 'the mission'.

He tried to close his eyes again, to go back to sleep. How much he hated it, he had to be fit for tomorrow's training. But as soon as the fatigue took over his mind and body, he could hear her screams again. He even noticed his own screams although he was sleeping. "Marlene! No! Marlene!"

How harder he tried to get out of his nightmare, how further he sank into it. "Don't come… Skipper… Don't, please!" He heard her screaming as if she was right beside him. Once again, he awoke heavily panting. Those stupid dreams… Apparently, he had slept longer than he expected, it was already 5 in the morning. It was no use to lay there and think about the things that have happened for another hour.

Grey, dark grey, that was the color the room had been painted in. The other soldiers were still deep asleep. He sighed. After all those years, everything that had happened… All the friends who had died, the loses of all the soldiers… Her dead was still the one which had made the most impact on his life. He could have never guessed that he would miss someone more than Manfredi. Or Johnson.

His friends never understood why he went to the military after Marlene's dead. They always thought that he would stay with them, finishing school, Kowalski had even searched a university for him. The military was nothing like what they imagined it would be back then. It was so much harder, it was a cruel place. People, friends, colleagues, they died in the dangerous missions. The mission won over the life of the soldiers. Every time he phoned or wrote to his parents he was glad that he still could. But he never wrote that often, afraid to get tracked down by him. The man who both made and ruined his life. The man who was able to bring Marlene to life and take it from her. The man who didn't feel any regret when shooting his own daughter down. His own pregnant daughter, in an attempt to kill the father of his grandson.

Skipper was still hiding from him. That's why he had only told his parents and friends that he was going to the military. That was why he changed his name. He wasn't Skipper anymore. He was called Jack now. The other soldiers called him Jack the Knife. He softly let his hand glide down to his belt, which he even wore over his pajama's. Most of the soldiers had a gun, only a gun. He had a gun, but also a knife. He swore to never use the gun if it wasn't necessary. He wanted to forget to sound of gunshots, the sound of bullets piercing through flesh. But he would never forget her.

After all, he had made the wrong decision. He wasn't destined to be a soldier, he had been destined to be with her. To spend a life together, a life with his friends, a life with having fun. He wasn't destined to see people die, he wasn't destined to fight in wars. He wondered why he hadn't seen it sooner. He wished that he could pretend once more that he was in a war instead of really being and fighting in one.

Still, he felt the guilt. He should have pushed her away, saved her. His life wasn't as much worth as hers, or theirs. If only he hadn't been so stupid, if only he had listened to his gut. If only he had listened to his teacher. If… If… If…

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_Thank you again for reading :)_


	12. Chapter 11: How Much He Means To Me

_No, the last chapter wasn't the end. :)_

_Here's the next chapter, please enjoy.**  
**_

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**Chapter 11: How Much He Means To Me**

Skipper laid down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He was done with all his homework, well not done as in finished, but he had done enough about it. That meant that he had opened his books and immediately closed them again. He sighed and noticed that his ceiling wasn't as white as it used to be.

That was when his cell phone rang. He gave a fast glance at the clock. Almost 11 PM. Who would call at this moment of the day? "Hello?" He gave a relieved sigh when he heard Marlene's voice. "Marlene, what's up?"

She tried to reason with her dad, she tried to calm him down. Nothing worked. He became angrier and angrier. She begged him to stop, to be reasonable. Now she wished that she had never told it to them. That she had run away from home, with Skipper. Her dad scared her, he was going crazy. After he had hit her right in the face, he had stormed out of the door. She was afraid that he was going to kill her boyfriend. He blamed Skipper for everything, and she couldn't see why. They were in love, they were going to get married. They were going to have a kid.

Her father had slapped her, right in her face. She still couldn't believe it. She sat down at the stairs and took her cell phone out of her the pocket of her pants. She had to make sure that Skipper would stay away tonight. She had to save him. "My dad is going crazy." She whispered before dialing Skipper's number.

"Skipper, don't come over, please!" Skipper heard her voice, she sounded scared, through the telephone. "Marlene what's wrong? Can I help you?" He didn't know what to do, so he paced his room up and down with the phone by his ear. "My dad." He could hear how she was trying to stay calm. "We had a fight. He…" Skipper sighed. She had told her parents finally, and just like how he expected it, they didn't like the fact that her teenage daughter was pregnant. "Calm down Marlene. Now tell me, what has he done?" He could hear her take a deep breath on the other side.

He was always so calm, he always knew how to act. She admired him for that. Marlene took a deep breath before telling the rest of the story. "I told my dad about us, and the baby. He got very angry, shouting about making you pay and that I am throwing my life away. He's going mental, I couldn't stop him, he stormed out of the door!" Although she just felt like calming down, she burst down in tears again. "My god, Skipper! Don't come over! He's going crazy!" She had to tell him to stay away, to even run away. She knew that her father was out for revenge. "He said that he's going to make you pay for what we've done!" She needed another pause and Skipper remained silence. "He's got a gun! So, run Skipper, RUN!" She yelled before hanging up the phone and covering her face in her hands. It was hard for her to comprehend what had actually happened.

Skipper turned his cell-phone off. What could he do to save her? He wouldn't run away. Running away was for cowards and he wasn't one. But he couldn't stay here too… What if he got over to Marlene's place? Maybe that was the last place where her dad would go look for him. How could he get over there? Walking was too dangerous. He would have to carjack a car. Maybe his dad's car. He saw his dad's white car from the bedroom window. It was his most beloved possession, but Skipper didn't care about that. He had to save Marlene. He opened his bedroom window and took a view steps back to jump through the window.

Marlene looked helplessly into the blackness of her dark home. She prayed for Skipper to be okay, that he wouldn't come, she prayed for her dad to calm down. "Daddy, please don't, it wasn't his fault…" She whispered, while the tears streamed over her face. "Why can't you see how much he means to me…"

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_Thank you for reading so far! :)_


	13. Chapter 12: Frozen In Time

_Here's chapter 12._

_Have fun :)**  
**_

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**Chapter 12: Frozen In Time**

Skipper ran to the car and tried open it. Sadly, he forgot to get the keys. He turned around and cursed under his breath, before running back to his house and ringing his own doorbell.

His dad opened the door and gave him an inquiring glare. "Son, what are you doing outside?" But Skipper didn't stop to listen to his dad, he pushed him aside and ran into the hall, fetching his dads keys. He turned around and ran with a devastating speed past his dad, who was looking at him with an open mouth and wide eyes. Skipper impatiently opened the car door and sat down at the driver's seat.

Marlene picked up her phone. Slightly trembling, she typed in his number. She had the feeling that he wasn't going to hide or run away. She had the feeling that he was coming to help her, to save her. That he was throwing himself in danger, just like how he did for those 'dangerous missions'. She wished that she had never called him, it would be her fault if he died. Her fault… She called him, praying that he would pick up his phone. That it wasn't too late. She could hear the phone rang. One time, two times. No answer. "Pick up, pick up!" Four times, five times. No answer. "You've reached the voicemail of Sk-"

The phone on his bed vibrated and fell to the ground. Nobody heard it, nobody saw it. It laid there on the ground, helplessly…

Skipper started the car and roughly placed it on the way. He didn't have much driving experience, he never had driving lessons and he mostly let Rico drive a car, but he found it surprisingly simple. With a high-speed, he drove the car through the almost empty streets of New York City. It surprised Skipper a little. It was New York, the city which never sleeps. He couldn't decide if he should take it as a bad sign or a lucky break, so he just drove in a dazzling high-speed further.

He reached her home quick and unharmed. He couldn't say that of the car, it had damage almost everywhere and it wasn't as clean as ten minutes before. But soon Skipper forgot about the car and ran towards her front door.

She saw him running towards her house. Marlene didn't know what to do anymore, so she just ran towards him. "Skipper! You had to stay away! To run away!" He pulled her to his body and softly stroked her back. "Ssst, Marlene. I am here, everything's alright again. Nobody is going to hurt you." She sighed and lent against his muscular body.

Skipper was shocked by the sight of her face. Several bruises were upon it and it was obvious that she had been crying. He hugged her tightly, whispering comforting words in her ear. "It's alright, nobody is going to hurt you…" Marlene pushed him a little away and looked him in the eye. "I love you Skipper!" He slowly checked their surroundings. His gut told him that there was something wrong. He startled when he saw him there, sneaking up from behind. He turned around and faced Marlene's dad. "Skipper watch out!" Marlene yelled, but Skipper pushed her away. Marlene's father had a maniacal smile on his face when he saw his target. "He's got a gun!" Marlene yelled and Skipper took a step forward. He wasn't afraid of her father. He doubted if he ever had handled a gun.

She knew what her dad could do with a gun. He had been an accomplished hunter for years. But she was sure that he wouldn't hurt her. She pushed Skipper away and stepped in front of him.

He was surprised when he felt Marlene pushing him away. She stepped in front of him, arms spread. She was like a personal human shield. He was too astonished to do anything. It was like everything happened in slow motion, but he was frozen in time...

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_..._


	14. Chapter 13: Inch By Inch

_I truly cried by writing this chapter...**  
**_

_(I apologize for its shortness.)  
_

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**Chapter 13: Inch By Inch**

Skipper looked at her father's face, then at the hand holding the gun. A slight trembling finger made its way to the trigger. Skipper saw the trigger… Moving… Inch by inch… As in a trance, he watched the gun shoot its bullet. Although he wanted to push her away, scream or even close his eyes, he couldn't do anything.

Suddenly, he saw Marlene falling to the ground, her eyes wide in shock, her mouth opened. Skipper was immediately by her side, pulling her body close to his. He softly stroke Marlene's long brown hair out of her face and he saw the tears in her eyes, the pain, and he knew that her life was over.

Skipper looked down, at his own hands. They were completely drenched by her blood, warm, red. He moved closer to her face and gave her a kiss, before she spoke her last words.

"Daddy please don't.

It wasn't his fault, he means so much to me…

Daddy please don't.

We're gonna… Get… Married…"

Marlene looked at the face of her love and tried to give him a last loving smile.

He felt the tension of her body fading, the life and light disappeared out of her eyes. He kissed her, a tear fell down on her face. He looked up and saw her father, still standing in front of them. He raised his gun and aimed at Skipper.

"Run, Skipper, run! Run, Skipper, run! Run, Skipper, run! Run, Skipper, run! Run, Skipper, run!"

It was as if Marlene was still speaking to him, warning him, trying to save him. He laid Marlene's lifeless body down and ran for his life, while the bullets flew around him, missing him by inches. He ran until he collapsed from exhaustion. He laid his head in his arms and cried, for his once and only love. "Run, Skipper… Run!" He knew that her screams would haunt him forever, he knew that his life would never be the same. He had lost his love, his child and he knew, he had lost his life too.

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_I would like to thank you all for reading this and of course a big hug for everyone who reviewed! _

_:)  
_


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